Margaret

1. Make and use a list. Buy only what is on the list. And of course, use coupons, but only when they make the cost lower than the generic brand.
2. Set a sensible weekly allowance for the grocery. Dont go over!
3. Plan meals around the weekly specials that the grocery ads put on special.
4. Shop at Wal-Mart if possible. WM takes competitor ads, so you get the advantage of everybody’s specials, and WM’s regular prices are about 10% cheaper anyway. One store, everyones’ specials.
5. Limit the purchasing of sweets, soft drinks, chips, snacks, and more expensive red meat. You will save a bundle not buying food with no to little nutrition. Notice I said limit, not eliminate.
6. Pre-plan and shop once a week (saves time, saves gas, saves money because you are prepared).
7. Know your prices on the things you purchase most often. Then when you are looking at ads or are in the store, you will know when you see a good deal or not.

Budget your grocery like you budget the rest of your expenses. Put the grocery spending on an allowance, and you will spend the same amount each week and therefore keep the budget in line as well. For more information on using an allowance system go to http://www.theallowancesystem.com
OH! You’re my new favorite blogger fyi

1. Make and use a list. Buy only what is on the list. And of course, use coupons, but only when they make the cost lower than the generic brand.
2. Set a sensible weekly allowance for the grocery. Dont go over!
3. Plan meals around the weekly specials that the grocery ads put on special.
4. Shop at Wal-Mart if possible. WM takes competitor ads, so you get the advantage of everybody’s specials, and WM’s regular prices are about 10% cheaper anyway. One store, everyones’ specials.
5. Limit the purchasing of sweets, soft drinks, chips, snacks, and more expensive red meat. You will save a bundle not buying food with no to little nutrition. Notice I said limit, not eliminate.
6. Pre-plan and shop once a week (saves time, saves gas, saves money because you are prepared).
7. Know your prices on the things you purchase most often. Then when you are looking at ads or are in the store, you will know when you see a good deal or not.

Budget your grocery like you budget the rest of your expenses. Put the grocery spending on an allowance, and you will spend the same amount each week and therefore keep the budget in line as well. For more information on using an allowance system go to http://www.theallowancesystem.com

it’s really handy for my boyfriend, who likes to keep food forever in his fridge. now i can show him that it’s really time to throw all that month-old foods out!

- With the meat, chicken stew using squash and other vegetables from my garden. 8 servings

- Casserole using gravy from the liver, heart, and giblets, with some of last year’s frozen garden herbs and vegetables, and some pasta. 8 servings, and

- Chicken broth using the carcass. I boiled the bones and tendons a while with the appropriate seasonings, skimmed off the fat, and got lovely chicken soup stock for 6 hungry or 8 polite people. With a few of last year’s dill pickles, or else some of this year’s peas and carrots, it will make great soup.

Really everything got used but the skin, feet, head, offal, and feathers.